5 Reasons for Bad Breath in Children

Your kid’s breath stinks. He brushes–twice a day for two minutes each time–so what gives? As it turns out, there’s more to fighting bad breath than simply brushing (although brushing is still important!). While it could be a combination of reasons, here are some common causes of bad breath in children.

Food

Food indeed. Many types of food isn’t an inherent problem; however, there are certain foods that just bleed bad breath. We’re talking about onions, garlic, and other food containing certain spices. The biggest reason for this causing bad breath isn’t so much the lingering particles in your mouth (although you may want to consider brushing anyway…), but rather they enter your bloodstream when digested and make their way to the lungs, thus perpetuating the scent every time you exhale. Sorry, there’s no way to brush your lungs (yet). 

Dry Mouth

Kids like to run around–a lot. Active kids sometimes forget to stay hydrated, which leaves their mouth dry as the desert. Without saliva around to wash down any smell-inducing particles left over from their last meal/snack/mud pie/etc., their mouth can start to accumulate a rather nasty smell. This occurs naturally while sleeping, and you may be familiar with the term “morning breath,” which is the outcome of a night’s sleep. To avoid this during the day, have your kids drink plenty of water.

Sinus Infection

Bad breath may not be associated with your kid’s mouth at all. Rather, it could be stemming from a sinus infection. With sinus infections, mucus and fluid collects in the throat and nasal cavities, allowing for bacteria to grow and thrive, thus leading to bad breath. You may be able to tell if your child has a sinus infection if they’ve been complaining about a sore throat or a stuffy nose.

Poor Hygiene

Yes, this one seems obvious, but it needs to be stated. Poor dental hygiene is most certainly a cause of bad breath. Make sure your children are brushing their teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time. And are they flossing? You don’t want little bits of food getting stuck in their teeth and rotting, thus emanating a noxious odor.

Foreign Objects

Foreign objects–such as food, toy parts, and beads–can get stuck in your child’s nose, and that can also cause smelly breath. While not sticking things up your nose may seem simply common sense to you, your child may not have reached that level of sophistication quite yet. If there is something stuck up there, you will need to take your child to a doctor to help remove it and to avoid getting it stuck further up.